Welcome to Number 16, the website that is fun, thought-provoking and outspoken. It is named after my favourite number. I am Joanne Madden and I'm from Toronto, Canada. To find out what I have written on any topic, use the search box directly below. Click the "Sports Nicknames" tab for a comprehensive list of sports nicknames. For TV trivia, plase check my other website, TV Banter (www.tvbanter.net). For some special features, please scroll to the bottom of this webpage.

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Tuesday, March 17, 2015

St. Patrick's Day: Toasts, Musings and Special Irish Men and Women

IRISH SAINT PATRICK'S DAY TOASTSaint Patrick was a gentleman,Who through strategy and stealth,Drove all the snakes from Ireland.Here's to toasting to his health,But not too many toastingsLest you lose yourself and thenForget the good Saint PatrickAnd see all those snakes again.

A Happy St. Patrick's Day to one and all and especially to all those who live in the beautiful Emerald Isle. I don't have any Irish ancestry, but I still celebrate the day. I always wear green and I always watch The Quiet Man, the 1952 film starring Maureen O'Hara and John Wayne.

ABOUT ST. PATRICK

Likely born on the west coast of Britain, St. Patrick was a 5th century Christian missionary and bishop of Ireland. His father, Calpornius, was a Romanized Briton who served as a deacon. Although from a Christian family and the son of a deacon, Patrick was not religious in his early years.

Some of St. Patrick's writings, such as the Confessio (Confession) and the Letter to Coroticus, survive. According the the Confessio, when Patrick was about 16 years old, he was abducted from the villa of his father by Irish raiders. He was sold into slavery in Ireland and forced to work the land as a sheepherder. After six years of captivity, he escaped and returned home.

The experience changed him profoundly and he discovered a new sense of spirituality. After becoming a Christian cleric, Patrick returned to Ireland as a missionary, preaching to many and baptizing many. He became the revered patron saint and national apostle of Ireland.

The year of St. Patrick's birth and his death are unknown, but he is thought to have died on March 17th, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.

END NOTE

* There is a legend that St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland. This is highly improbable because it is unlikely there were ever any snakes there. However, the story may be allegorical, a reference to the driving out of evil, with the snake or serpent symbolizing evil.

Here, in no particular order, are my favourite Irish men and women of note.

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NUMBER 16: FEATURED PHOTOS AND ART

TODAY IS MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2018.

NUMBER 16 STRONGLY SUPPORTS THE PARIS CLIMATE CHANGE AGREEMENT

Climate change is real. It is not a hoax. It has been scientifically proven. The world must come together and deal with it decisively before it is too late. The clock is ticking and the hurricanes, floods and wildfires are getting fiercer and more destructive. DEVASTATING CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES (Click on image above).

About Me

I am a native of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. For many years, I worked as a researcher and archivist at the Toronto Star, the largest newspaper in Canada. I like to share my interest in trivia, television, current events, politics, movies, quotes etc.